Posted on 01/16/2011 7:29:31 AM PST by Brilliant
Detroit was once America's fourth largest city, though today large sections of its inner core are abandoned to the elements, and monuments like Michigan Central Station are returning to dust. Another emblem of civic decline is a plan to desert nearly half of Detroit's public schools so that it can afford to fulfill its teachers union contract.
The school district is facing a $327 million deficit and has already closed 59 schools over the last two years to avoid paying maintenance, utility and operating costs. Under a worst-case scenario released this week by Robert Bobb, an emergency financial manager appointed by the state to resolve the Detroit education fisc, the district will close another 70 of its remaining 142 schools to save $31.3 million through 2013.
"Additional savings of approximately $12.4 million can be achieved from school closures if the District simply abandons the closed buildings," the proposal explains, purging costs like boarding up buildings, storage and security patrols.
Steven Wasko, a spokesman for Mr. Bobb, said that urban property sales have been difficult, in part because until recently the state board of education banned transactions with "competing educational institutions" like charter schools. Once buildings are deserted, even if the doors and windows are welded shut with protective metal covers, scavengers break in and dismantle them for copper wire, pipes and so on.
Under the emergency plan, consolidated high-school class sizes would increase to 62 by 2014, "consistent with what students would expect in large university settings." Yet under the terms of the Detroit Federation of Teachers contract, the district must pay bonuses for class enrollment over 35, thus imposing some $11.1 million in new costs through 2014...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Because the result will still be about 30 kids in class on any given day?
Michigan ping, grellis?
I am surprised Detroit is not in bankruptcy. I’m sure it will be one of the first to go down. But I guess they are trying to save those bus driver jobs, and if they file bankruptcy, that won’t happen.
I worked for Ford from 1991 to 1994 and lived two years in Dearborn, sandwiched around one year out in Belleville. It wasn’t a bad place, and I thought it was a mini-version of what Detroit could have been had it not gone to Hell in the 60’s. I have some good memories of the area and yes, even of Detroit. I’m glad now that I didn’t put down roots and stay there, though, and there are better places in the US to live.
“Why is it that virtually every municipality that is run by Black Democrats eventually turns into Mogadishu?” he asked innocently...
A great way to make a political statement. It's a wonder it hasn't been pulled. Any bidder who wins is gonna get screwed.
Forget it, it's Chinatown(*) Detroit.
From Urban Dictionary: Chinatown is a drama thriller made in 1974 directed by Roman Polanski and staring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway about drought-ridden '30s L.A., corruption, weird family relations, and a divorce specializing private detective; spawned the phrase "it's Chinatown" - the phrase is used to refer to a situation that is impossible to deal with due to the fact that it is the result of issues imbedded in a tangled web of too many people's personal problems and/or ambitions, greed, or deviance, and that there is nothing one person on the outside of that web can do to set everything right because the whole situation is too [messed] up.
You do understand I was making a joke. If you want the city I’m afraid the unions aren’t finished draining it yet.
Funny.
Back in the 60’s, the big draw of Dearborn was that the schools were quite good. I suppose they still are, comparatively speaking.
Henry Ford was a union buster. They pushed him out of his own business because of that. Ironically, it’s come full circle, and if he were here today, he’d say I told you so.
Detroit has been bankrupt for years. It simply refuses to admit it.
It's only a matter of time. I wouldn't look for it to become official until after the 2012 election--pretty embarrassing for Zero to have to explain that.
Oh, wait and nevermind! It's Bush's fault!
Didn’t know about the public schools. Dearborn also had a very good public library. Also some good restaurants and decent, middle-class neighborhoods.
Yep.
Al Kaline was on the 1968 Tigers. By that time he was near the end of his Hall of Fame career. During his playing days I considered him to have the best outfield throwing arm in the American League. Yaz was close behind. He could throw a strike from 300 feet and beyond every time. Roberto Clemente was the best in the National League.
Well, I know that people such as Jesse Jackson have complained of “dis-investment” in our cities. Detroit may be the worst example of that. But Jesse and others never address the reasons for that dis-investment.
If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.
Detroit being Detroit uaw takes a bow.
This actually seems like a good solution. Give the teachers all they have been promised and close schools to pay for it. Before you know it, the parents will be so pissed off they force the teachers to capitulate.
As far as the schools are concerned, it doesn't seem like the place that produces national merits or Westinghouse winners.
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